Method of manufacturing multilayer ceramic capacitor and multilayer ceramic capacitor

Abstract

A rectangular or substantially rectangular parallelepiped chip including first and second end surfaces and first and second side surfaces is produced by cutting a mother block along a first direction in a portion where, of conductive layers that are adjacent to each other in a stacking direction, a first one is present and a second one is not present and cutting of the mother block along a second direction in a portion where, of the conductive layers that are adjacent to each other in the stacking direction, the second one is present and the first one is not present. A first internal electrode formed from the first conductive layer is exposed at the first end and side surfaces and not exposed at either of the second end and side surfaces. A second internal electrode formed from the second conductive layer is exposed at the second end and side surfaces and not exposed at either of the first end and side surfaces.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A multilayer ceramic capacitor comprising:
 a ceramic element including first and second principal surfaces extending along a longitudinal direction and a width direction, first and second side surfaces extending along the longitudinal direction and a thickness direction, and first and second end surfaces extending along the width direction and the thickness direction; and 
 a plurality of first and second internal electrodes spaced away from each other along the thickness direction in the ceramic element; wherein 
 the first internal electrodes are exposed at the first end surface and not exposed at the second end surface; 
 the second internal electrodes are exposed at the second end surface and not exposed at the first end surface; and 
 each of the first internal electrodes and the second internal electrodes includes a first end on a first side in the width direction and a second end on a second side in the width direction, the first end of the first internal electrode is positioned outside the first end of the second internal electrode in the width direction, the second end of the first internal electrode is positioned inside the second end of the second internal electrode in the width direction, the second ends of the first internal electrodes are scattered in the width direction so as to be disposed at different positions from one another in the width direction, the first ends of the second internal electrodes are scattered in the width direction so as to be disposed at different positions from one another in the width direction, the second end of each of the first internal electrodes is thicker than other portions of the first internal electrode in the width direction, and the first end of each of the second internal electrodes is thicker than other portions of the second internal electrode in the width direction. 
 
     
     
       2. The multilayer ceramic capacitor according to  claim 1 , wherein a distance between the first and second internal electrodes is equal to or larger than a thickness of each of the first and second internal electrodes. 
     
     
       3. The multilayer ceramic capacitor according to  claim 1 , wherein the ceramic element has a rectangular or substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. 
     
     
       4. The multilayer ceramic capacitor according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of first and second internal electrodes has a rectangular or substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. 
     
     
       5. The multilayer ceramic capacitor according to  claim 1 , wherein the ceramic element has dimensions of about 0.1 mm to about 3.0 mm in height, about 0.2 mm to about 4.0 mm in length, and about 0.1 mm to about 3.0 mm in width. 
     
     
       6. The multilayer ceramic capacitor according to  claim 1 , wherein the ceramic element includes a plurality of ceramic layers each having a thickness larger than that of each of the first and second internal electrodes. 
     
     
       7. The multilayer ceramic capacitor according to  claim 1 , wherein a thickness of each of the ceramic layers is about 0.3 μm to about 3 μm. 
     
     
       8. The multilayer ceramic capacitor according to  claim 1 , wherein a thickness of each of the first and second internal electrodes is about 0.3 μm to about 1.5 μm.